a biography of sorts

I'm Jamelah (that rhymes with tequila and not Pamela, so get it right). I was born on September 11, 1979, which, as of this writing, makes me 26 years old. It also makes me completely irritated by people who say "Oh, what a horrible birthday." Just so you know.

I live in a small college town in Michigan that is still technically considered a city, by whatever standard judges these things. If I were to describe it, I'd say it's a special mix of an inner city and the rural South, with the college serving as a strange bubble of book-knowledge and money. I graduated from this college in 2001 with a degree in English. I work for a small non-profit and I talk in acronyms. What I do has nothing to do with my degree, but that's life for you.

In my spare time (whatever that means), I edit a couple of things, do some graphic design, and write book reviews. I also do my own creative writing from time to time, whenever I feel inspired. Since my method has always been to let the events of my life ferment until they're strong enough to be turned into fiction, I haven't really done any writing in a long time. Nothing is ready yet.

I also make bead and wirework jewelry and take photographs and, on occasion, I create big, messy artworks. I also love to cook and I'm really good at it. I maintain this website because it keeps me on my toes, and even though I haven't done much creative writing, I still like to engage myself in activities that require me to use complete sentences.

I have a sense of humor that gets me into all sorts of trouble. I'm either hilariously funny or sick and evil, depending on who you ask. The truth is that I see laughter as the greatest gift there is, and I like to share it, though, unfortunately, people don't always get when I'm joking. I'm very rarely serious, and when I am, I typically ruin it by saying something stupid, and you know when I say all those things that sound horrifically pretentious? That's when I'm making fun of myself. I also believe that fighting with sarcasm is much more effective than fighting with weapons, but then, I always was a little quirky.

Anyway, I guess that's it. Cheers.